Zohran Mamdani, a candidate for mayor of New York City, has criticised Polymarket, a cryptocurrency-based prediction market, for announcing a temporary 'free grocery store' pop-up that appears to mimic his signature policy of city-operated grocery stores. Mamdani responded by sharing a satirical headline from Clickhole: 'Heartbreaking: the worst person you know just made a great point.'
Polymarket announced on Tuesday that it would open 'New York City's first free grocery store,' claiming it aimed to 'empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good' and had donated $1m to the Food Bank for NYC. However, the store is only a temporary pop-up, and its location has yet to be announced despite a supposed opening date of 12 February.
Mamdani's campaign proposal included a pilot programme of five city-run grocery stores to combat rising food costs, which increased by 65.8% between 2013 and 2023 in New York, according to the state comptroller's office. The stores would not pay rent or overhead taxes, buy and sell at wholesale prices, and partner with local neighbourhoods, with an estimated annual operating cost of $60m.
Polymarket has faced criticism for allowing users to potentially profit from inside knowledge of war strikes and diplomatic strategy. A competitor, Kalshi, pulled a similar stunt on 3 February, taking over a grocery store in the East Village and offering shoppers up to $50 worth of free groceries.
